How to Break a Bad Boy
by maddiegirl56
Summary: This guide is guaranteed to torture your school's 'bad boy.' It will diminish his bad boy image. One hundred out of one hundred bad boys crumbled after being victims of the instructions in this guide. Good luck, and happy bad boy breaking!


**So I started this a while ago and randomly found it a few days ago and liked it so here I am. XD I hope you guys enjoy it and I don't own Austin and Ally.**

* * *

><p><span><strong>How to Break a Bad Boy<strong>

_This guide is guaranteed to torture your school's 'bad boy.' It will diminish his bad boy image. One hundred out of one hundred bad boys crumbled after being victims of the instructions in this guide. Good luck, and happy bad boy breaking!_

* * *

><p><span><em>Step 1: Stand Up to Him (works best if you're one of his victims)<em>

Ally Dawson walked into school, keeping her head down.

"Please don't see me," she muttered to herself.

"Hey, Dorkson!" the all-too-familiar voice exclaimed. She rolled her eyes as her books were pushed out of her hands and her backpack was stolen.

"Hey, Austin, look what I found!" one of the bad boy's friends (she was pretty sure his name was Dallas) said. He held up Ally's diary/songbook.

"Dude, it's her diary!" another boy said. This one she recognized. He used to torment her at camp when Austin wasn't there. Elliot. Ally looked at them helplessly, her brown eyes filling with tears.

"Let's read it!" Austin exclaimed. He grabbed the diary and flipped to a random page. Before he could read it, though, the book was ripped from his hands.

"Don't touch my book," Ally told him angrily, all signs of tears gone. She picked up her things, turned on her heel, and marched to her first period class. Little did she know, Austin was staring after her, wide-eyed.

"Dude, Dorkson just told you off," Dallas told him.

"If anything, she's finally got some nerve," Elliot remarked.

"Good for her," Austin said sincerely.

_This first step is to catch his attention. He will be impressed and intrigued by you because you had the nerve to stand up to the 'bad boy.' Don't be surprised if he slowly eases up on you._

* * *

><p><span><em>Step 2: Have Lunch With Him (or do something that will result in conversation)<em>

"Hey," someone said, sliding into the seat next to Ally at her lunch table. This was weird, considering Trish, her only friend, didn't have this lunch period.

"What?" she said, not looking up from her book. The boy didn't answer. Ally rolled her eyes and set the book down. "Austin, can we make this quick? I'd like to eat and finish my book in peace, with at least a little of my self-esteem left."

"I'm here to eat with you," the blonde replied, digging into his cafeteria pizza.

"Funny," Ally deadpanned.

"I'm not kidding Dork-Dawson," Austin corrected himself. "You intrigue me. For years, I've tormented you, made you cry, and then all of a sudden last week you stand up to me. Why?" She shrugged.

"I wanted respect from you," she said, telling the half-truth. "I guess I finally got it." Austin nodded.

"You definitely did."

_This step is to start becoming acquaintances. Don't be surprised if he starts having lunch with you or talking to you more often. This is a sign that he genuinely wants to get to know you better. Don't push him away._

* * *

><p><span><em>Step 3: Become Friends With Him<em>

"Hey, Ally," Austin said, sliding into his now usual spot at her lunch table. He sat there with her every day, but he made her promise not to tell his friends about it. They couldn't find out he was spending time with Dorkson.

"Hi, Austin," Ally replied. Austin stole a baby carrot from her lunch tray.

"So, I was thinking-"

"Uh oh."

"Ha-ha. Anyway, we should become official friends. I mean, we've been lunch buddies for a while now, and-" he took both of Ally's hands dramatically, "-I think it's time to take the next step in this relationship." Ally laughed at the blonde, ignoring the speeding of her heart.

"Wow, is _the _Austin Moon asking to be friends with me?" she said sarcastically. Austin nodded. "Then, sure." Austin smiled at her answer.

_This step is to gain his trust. You're probably the only girl friend he has that isn't desperately trying to become his girlfriend. He'll probably start hanging out with you even more. He most likely misses having a normal female friend that isn't constantly trying to shove her tongue down his throat. Remember this if you're asking yourself if being his friend is really worth it._

* * *

><p><span><em>Step 4: Learn His Secrets<em>

"I can't believe you _actually _did this!" Austin exclaimed happily.

"I can't believe you got me to ditch school," Ally said nervously. They were currently sitting on top of the monkey bars at the playground while all their friends were in fourth period. "Why didn't you get one of your bad boy buddies to ditch with you?"

"You're more fun," he replied. "Besides, they don't understand the fun of playgrounds. I knew you would." He swung his legs back and forth like a little kid. "We're still friends, right?"

"Yeah," Ally said, raising an eyebrow.

"So, I could, like, tell you something I've never told anyone, and you'd keep it a secret? That's what _real _friends do, right?" he asked. Ally liked how much Austin was like a small child. It made him seem a little more innocent. And cute. But she chose to ignore the second one. She also chose to ignore the flips her heart did when their feet touched in their swinging.

"Of course."

"Okay." Austin blew air out of his cheeks, an act Ally found to be quite adorable. Er, childish. Yeah, an act Ally found to be quite childish. "I'm dyslexic," the blonde finally said. "And I know it doesn't make much of a difference 'cause I never study or do my homework, but it's not my fault. I _try _to do it, I really do, but I just _can't. _And I have no one home to help me.

"I haven't seen my parents in months, even though they live in the same house as me. They're always at work, so I have to kinda fend for myself. But I can't do homework because I can't even read what I'm doing. All my teachers think I'm not even trying, but I am.

"I _want _to be a good student, Ally, but I can't. I can't read even the simplest words because of my stupid dyslexia, and so everyone either thinks I'm stupid or lazy or both. But I'm _not_, Ally. I'm not. If someone reads the problems to me, I'm fine, but no one ever does. None of my friends do homework because they _are _lazy and stupid. I don't wanna be like them.

"I don't know what to do, Ally. I can't tell anyone, or they'll look at me differently and think I'm dumb. And I know you probably will, too, but I had to tell _someone_, and you're just about the only person I trust at this point," Austin finished.

He looked at Ally with those deep hazel eyes. She found herself getting lost in them. But she didn't entirely mind. She wanted to explore those eyes, find the cause for the evident pain in them, and force it away. How could anything hurt this poor, innocent boy? The same poor, innocent boy who was her main cause of self-esteem issues not even a month ago…

Their legs were still swinging, but his feet had latched on to hers.

"I'm not looking at you differently," Ally finally said. "And you're not dumb, either. But, if you want, I can tutor you."

"Really?" Austin asked hopefully. Ally nodded. He smiled, even though there was still some sadness in his eyes. "Thanks, Als!" he exclaimed.

"Als?" Ally asked.

"Yeah. It's a nickname I made up for you. Every guy has to have a cute nickname for their best girl friend, right?" Ally smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Als. I like it."

"Also, my middle name's Monica."

_This step is so you two can become even closer. A large point in the science of this system is becoming best friends before you break him. Also, he needs to know you have something against him. You need to know that, too, for a later step._

* * *

><p><span><em>Step 5: Talk to Him When His Friends Are Around<em>

Ally smiled and walked up to Austin, who was standing by his locker and talking to Dallas and Elliot.

"Hey, Austin!" she said cheerily.

"Hey, Ally," he replied. "You know Dallas and Elliot." Ally nodded, pressing her lips together.

"Austin, why are you talking to Dorkson?" Dallas asked.

"Because she's my friend," Austin replied simply.

"Seriously?" Elliot asked. Austin nodded.

"And because she's my friend, you two will be _nice _to her."

"C'mon, we already have to pretend to like Dez, do we really have to pretend to like _that_, too?" Dallas said. Ally's smug smile faded. Austin put an arm around her.

"Ally is not a _that, _and you _will _like her," Austin told his friends.

"No, no. I don't want them to be forced to like me," Ally said.

"Good. 'Cause we don't like you, and we never will," Dallas replied. Austin rolled his eyes.

"Well, I gotta get to first period, 'cause I actually _try _in class," Ally said, glaring at Austin's friends. With that, she marched away.

"Dude, you gotta ditch the dork," Elliot told Austin.

"Or what?"

"Or you'll lose all your popularity," Dallas said. "Do you really wanna throw it all away, just to be friends with a girl no one even likes?" Austin sighed.

"I guess not."

_His friends won't like you. They won't even try to get to know you. But he will. At this point, he's relying on you more than you think. He needs you in his life because you help him feel normal, and you help him forget the stresses of popularity._

* * *

><p><span><em>Step 6: Make Him Feel Sorry For You<em>

Ally sat on top of the monkey bars at the park, tears rolling down her face. Before she knew it, Austin was sitting next to her, his arm around her shoulders tightly.

"What's wrong?" he whispered.

"Everyone hates me."

"I don't hate you," he told her. "Please don't cry."

"Everyone else does! You used to! What did I ever do wrong?!" she exclaimed, crying more.

"You didn't do anything wrong!" Austin said. "Everyone, including me, is jealous of your intelligence and intimidated by your beauty."

"Please," she said, sniffling, "I'm not beautiful." Austin looked at her and moved her hair out of her face. He wiped her tears with his thumbs.

"You're more than that," he said. "More than any of the cheerleaders. You don't try to be beautiful. You just are. And that _scares _people."

"You really think that?" Ally asked quietly, looking in his eyes. Austin swallowed hard, looking almost nervous.

"Yeah," he said. "Yeah, I do."

_If he sees you upset (crying works wonders), he will no doubt feel sorry for you. He'll probably feel like it's his fault, though he'll still probably be too prideful to say it. He'll comfort you, and if you start getting down on yourself, he'll tell you why you shouldn't be. He'll probably say how beautiful you are, and something in his face may change. This means he's beginning to fall for you. Don't be alarmed-he needs to have deep feelings for you in order for this process to work._

* * *

><p><span><em>Step 7: Make Him Fall Harder For You<em>

"Hey, Austin," Ally said, walking up to him in the hallway. She was wearing a pink dress that hugged her curves and stopped mid-thigh. Trish said it would drive boys mad. Hopefully, Austin was no different.

"Hey Al…." he trailed off when he turned around and saw her. His eyes trailed up her legs slowly, taking her in, before they finally landed on her face. "-Ly," he finished, still staring at her wide-eyed. He was breathing slightly heavier than usual, his shoulders and chest the only parts of his body that were moving.

"Are you okay?" she asked innocently. He swallowed and nodded.

"You look…different. New outfit?" She nodded.

"Yeah! Trish got it for me. She said it's more _in_. Think people will stop making fun of me?"

"They'll be too stunned to," he said with a nod. Finally, he shook his head. "So, what's up?"

"I got an A on my history test!" she said excitedly. He chuckled.

"Of course you did." She smiled at him, and he smiled back, a certain sparkle in his eyes.

_If this step is done right, he should be crushing on you hard. Maybe not head-over-heels, but enough to have his heart broken if you reject him or leave him. He'll start looking at you differently, being more flirty, and paying more attention to you._

* * *

><p><span><em>Step 8: Get Him to Admit He Likes You<em>

Austin was currently over at Ally's, and she was tutoring him so he could be prepared for midterms. He told her that being friends with her made him realize he wanted to be smarter, that he wanted to do well in school. So of course she jumped at the opportunity to tutor him.

"I can't get this," he muttered in frustration as he wracked his brain over an especially hard math problem. They had been studying and working nonstop for three hours, and Ally decided it was time for a break.

"You know it, Austin. I think you've reached your limit. Why don't we call it a day and just hang?" she suggested. Austin slammed the math book shut.

"I've been waiting for you to say that for the past hour," he said, sounding relieved. She grinned.

"You're smarter than you think. You'll do just fine." Austin smiled.

"Thanks, Als. So what do you wanna do?"

"I dunno, what do _you _wanna do?"

"Truth or dare!" Austin suggested. Ally rolled her eyes.

"Fine."

"Yay! Truth or dare?"

"Dare," Ally said. Austin grinned at her 'bold' choice.

"Okay, I dare you to….climb the doorframe like Spiderman!" he exclaimed. Ally chuckled and got up.

"You're strange." She did as Austin told her to, and when she hopped down, he gave her a round of applause.

"Good job."

"Thank you, thank you," Ally said with a cute curtsey. She watched as Austin smiled and she could've sworn she saw his cheeks turn a light shade of pink, barely noticeable. "Alright, your turn. Truth or dare?"

"Dare," he said, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Hmm, I dare you to write the name of the girl you like on a piece of paper, throw it out my window, and the first one to find it in my backyard gets to read it."

"Not bad for a dare, Als," he said as she handed him a piece of paper and a pen. "You know, for a good girl." He winked and she laughed. He smiled as he wrote a name on the paper. He crumbled it up and walked to Ally's window. For a second, he looked down at the ground two stories below, and then he threw the paper.

"Okay, come here," Ally said. "You have to start touching my bed." Austin put a hand on Ally's bed, and she did the same. "Alright, ready…set….GO!" Ally exclaimed. Austin darted out of the room ahead of her.

"You really thought you'd win, Als?!" he called back to her as he ran down the stairs. Ally chuckled and shook her head and walked out onto her balcony. From there, she climbed over the railing and onto a tree branch that reached out far enough for her to get to. Then she climbed down the tree and found the paper.

Austin came outside right as she picked it up. His jaw dropped.

"I didn't even see you!"

"Short cut," she said with a smirk, slowly starting to unfold the paper.

"You tricked me!" he exclaimed. "You knew you'd win!"

"You can't prove anything," she said calmly. He rolled his eyes and leaned against a pillar.

"Whatever." Ally looked down at the wrinkled paper and saw _ALLY DAWSON _written in the middle of the page. She looked up at him.

"Really?" He shrugged and nodded. "Are you kidding?" He rolled his eyes (he seemed to do that a lot) and walked over to her.

"Why would I kid if I thought I knew I was gonna win?" he replied.

"Just in case _I _won." He shrugged.

"Well, no, I'm not kidding, Als."

"Oh," she said.

"Oh," he mocked her. She rolled her eyes and he grinned. She didn't understand how he could be so calm about this, but she was happy about it. "Okay, truth or dare?"

"I'm gonna go with dare," she said.

"Wow, two dares. Feeling rebellious today, are we?" Austin asked.

"Oh, totally," Ally replied. "I mean, I know you like bad girls." She put a hand over her heart. "I'm just trying to live up to that expectation." Austin smiled and rolled his eyes, nudging her shoulder.

"Shut up." She giggled.

"Okay, gimme a dare."

"Alright, alright. I dare you to tell me who you like."

"Wow, how old are you, twelve?" Ally joked. Austin put his hands up in defense.

"Not everyone has elaborate ways to trick people into telling them! I'm more blunt."

"Well, that isn't even a dare."

"I dare you to say the name of the guy you like. Better?" Austin said. Ally nodded.

"Either way, I don't like anyone." Austin scoffed.

"As if. C'mon, you have to tell me. I told you!"

"I swear I'm telling the truth! I honestly do not like anyone at the moment."

"You have a gun to your head and you have to choose," Austin said, holding a finger gun to Ally's head.

"I can't!"

"I'll pull this trigger!" Austin threatened.

"I'm so scared of you bending your thumb," Ally said sarcastically. "Why do you care so much?" Austin gave her an "_are-you-serious?" _look. "It's a valid question!"

"Because I like you, dummy!" Austin exclaimed, pretending to pull the trigger on his finger gun. "If you don't like me, I at least want the peace of mind of knowing you don't like a total jerk."

"I don't like a total jerk. Or anyone."

"Yes, but if you _had _to like someone," Austin said. "Who would it be?" Ally rolled her eyes.

"If I say you, will you shut up?" Ally asked. Austin grinned and nodded. "Then you." Austin's smile widened.

"I always knew you had a thing for me," he said, flipping his hair.

"I don't _actually _like you, dufus," Ally told him with a chuckle.

"Eh, I'll take what I can get," he said with a shrug.

_Hopefully, he'll be okay with you knowing he likes you. If he isn't, you'll have to work him up to being okay with it. Feel free to tease him a bit about it, and even use his crush on you to your advantage. He'll end up being more attracted to you because of it, which is the goal. The more he's into you, the better._

* * *

><p><span><em>Step 9: Betray Him<em>

Ally sat alone at lunch and looked around. She spotted the familiar mop of blonde hair in the lunch line, and knew that if she didn't do it soon, she wouldn't have the guts to do it at all. She thought about all the awful things the boy had done to her in the past and let her hurt and anger build her courage. Finally, she stood up on her table, wobbling only slightly in her black heels.

"Hey everyone!" she exclaimed. The lunch room went silent as all eyes were trained on her. She had no idea how she was this confident, but she was glad. "You all know my friend Austin, right?" Everyone nodded, and Austin looked up at her in confusion. She refused to even glance at him for fear her confidence would waver. "Austin _Monica _Moon?"

There were lots of confused whispers and Ally nodded her head.

"That's right, folks. Bad boy Austin Moon's middle name is Monica! Maybe his parents wanted a girl?" The cafeteria broke out in laughter and Austin climbed onto the table with her.

"What're you doing?" he whispered, gently grabbing her arm. "You're the only one who knew about that." She pushed him away and he fell off the table. More laughter from the spectators.

"Another thing you don't know about Austin-he's dyslexic!" Everyone laughed more and pointed, calling him 'dumb' and 'stupid.' Ally felt a pang in her heart. This was cruel. Why was she exhibiting this poor boy's problems like a freak show? He couldn't help it, and yet people were calling him names because of it.

She pushed her guilt aside and kept going.

"And lastly-this one's the best yet-Austin's practically in love with _me_!" Okay, she was exaggerating a bit, but people still laughed harder. She knew it was kind of an insult to herself, but she was breaking _Austin_, and that was what mattered. "Yep, Austin's crushing on me, the girl he used to _bully _every day! I stood up to him _once_, and now he's practically wrapped around my finger!" She finally looked down at Austin, and he hadn't gotten up from the ground. His eyebrows were knit together in confusion as to why Ally was doing this, and he looked up at her with hurt in his eyes. He was ignoring everyone else.

Ally stepped on her chair, and then on the ground, and walked over to her old 'friend.' She stood over him, knowing her tall heels and fitted dress were driving him absolutely _mad _while the hurt of what she was doing was crushing his heart.

"Aw," she said, putting her hands on her hips. "Wanna go cry to your mommy about your first heartbreak?" He swallowed, locking eyes with her. Ally pushed away the guilt yet again as she looked at the pain in his eyes and delivered her last line. "Oh wait, your parents aren't even around. Maybe because they care more about _work _then they care about _you_." With that, she flipped her hair and turned around, strutting out of the cafeteria. She knew that by doing this she was kicking Austin when he was down-teasing him with the beauty he thought she had, making him want her, even though she had just crushed him.

When she searched her brain for the guilt to push away, she couldn't find it.

_This is the most important step of the process. You need to expose his secrets, tell people about the real him, the parts of him he trusted you with. Remember all you have against him, and use all of it. Share all his secrets, including that he likes you. Knowing that you betrayed his trust, that you don't care about him, will crush him far more than the school knowing everything. If you feel any guilt, remember the terrible things he's done to you. Remember all he's done to humiliate you. This is the least he deserves._

* * *

><p><span><em>Step 10: Answer His Questions and Leave Him For Good<em>

The next day, Austin stopped Ally in the hall, ignoring the snickers from people watching. He took her hand and dragged her into an empty classroom.

"What was all that?" he asked after he shut the door.

"What do you mean?" she asked innocently, leaning against the desk in her short-shorts-the ones she _knew _drove Austin _insane_.

"I _mean_," he said, trying to stay calm, "telling the entire school the stuff I trusted you with. The secrets only _you _knew about."

"Oh, _that_," she said. "Revenge."

"Revenge?" he asked incredulously. "For what?"

"For all the humiliation and _torture _you've been putting me through since freshman year."

"Ally," he said, "You-We-I thought we were over that. I thought we were friends."

"Sure you did. Because I was faking it."

"_What_?!"

"You _actually _thought I'd forgive you for all that? Maybe you really _are _stupid." Austin took a step back, looking crestfallen.

"None of it was real? I fell in lo-I _liked _an act?" Ally laughed in shock.

"Wait a sec, you actually fell in _love _with me?!" Austin looked down, shutting his eyes tightly and clenching his jaw. "I can't believe this!" He finally looked up at her, and there were tears in his eyes.

"So, you were planning this all along?" Ally nodded and looked at her nails.

"Yeah, yeah I was. Thanks for the confidence, by the way. Never would've been able to pull this off without you."

"So when you would tease me for liking you and all that, you weren't flirting," he said, realization dawning on his face.

"I was getting you to fall harder," she said with a nod. "Made it all the more painful."

"You did all this for revenge on me?" Ally rolled her eyes and nodded.

"We covered this."

"Ally, this isn't like you. You're a good girl."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I can't get revenge on the person who ruined my life," she said. Austin swallowed.

"Just the fact that you needed revenge makes you no longer a good girl," he said, his voice catching. "I grew up enough to stop bullying you and be friends with you. I really was in love with you. But the fact that you went to all this trouble for some petty _revenge_…It makes you no better than me."

With that, he stormed out of the room.

_Your bad boy will be hurt beyond belief. He deserves this, but he also deserves a few answers. If you do it right, you can use this step to break him even more. Rub it in his face how fake everything was. Laugh at him being in love with you (at this point he's probably head-over-heels and now heartbroken). Do everything it takes to crush him. But remember: don't apologize. Don't feel sorry for him. And don't-under any circumstances-fall for him._

* * *

><p><em>This is the end of our guide! Hopefully you broke your bad boy, and along with that became a little more popular. Thanks for choosing our process, and dial the number on the back cover for our other books, including <em>_**How to Break a Good Girl**__, __**How to Make Over a Nerd**__, and __**How to Love the Heartless**__._

* * *

><p>Two weeks later, and Austin's words were still eating away at the back of Ally's mind.<p>

"_It makes you no better than me." _

She had gone through all this to make a point, to _break _the guy who broke everyone else. To be the hero. To be the good guy…or good _girl _in her case. The hero is always better than the villain, and the villain knows it. But if the so-called villain is victimized by the so-called hero, are the titles even valid?

_"It makes you no better than me." _

After all those years, Ally promised herself she'd never let Austin drag her down to his level. She promised herself she'd always be the bigger person, but suddenly _Austin _seemed like the mature one. Was he even mad at her for all this?

Of course not; he was in love with her.

_"It makes you no better than me." _

Not only did she humiliate him in front of the whole school, but she did so as his _friend_. She knew how much he liked her, and she felt victorious in the fact that she had just broken his heart. How could someone like that, someone feeling no guilt at all for taking a person's trust and spitting right back at them in front of the whole school, ever be a hero?

_"It makes you no better than me." _

Austin was prepared to move past his mistakes. He was genuinely changing into a better person. While she was genuinely changing into a worse person.

_"It makes you no better than me." _

The guilt finally returned, gnawing at her insides like a termite infestation. She felt sick.

At lunch, she wandered the halls alone, clutching her churning stomach and trying to think herself out of this state of guilt. Her heels clicked on the tile-she still wore outfits that would get to Austin, her version of eternal torture for her favorite bad boy.

She thought about how much more popular she was now that she had broken the school's bad boy. Tons of people liked her now, all because she embarrassed the guy who embarrassed everyone else. Funny how that worked. As long as _they _weren't the ones being humiliated, they enjoyed another human being's torment.

Suddenly, her foot caught on something and she went flying forward. She let out a yelp and twisted her body, landing on her side. She looked up to see what she tripped over and was met with the all-too-familiar mop of blonde hair and hazel eyes.

The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Slowly, she stood up, her eyes never leaving his. She blew a strand of perfectly curled hair out of her face and smoothed out her pink dress-the same dress she had worn when she was trying to get him to fall harder for her. He looked her up and down blankly, shamelessly. Austin swallowed his bite of food and met her eyes, waiting for her to either make the first move or leave.

"Watch where to put your legs," she finally said, though her shaky voice contradicted the snappy comment. The guilt still ate away.

"Watch where you put your feet," he replied smoothly.

"What're you even doing out here? Shouldn't you be eating with your friends?"

"You mean the ones you intentionally got to leave me? Yeah, they can't be bothered with some dumb, lovesick puppy with no parents around to ask why they named him Monica." He looked her up and down again. "As flattering as it is that you still dress for me, it's a bit pathetic."

"What makes you think I dress for you?" she asked defensively, her hands going to her hips. Austin set down his lunch tray.

"That's the dress you wore when you first took my breath away. And I have a sneaking suspicion you knew it would." Ally didn't say anything. "Is this your way of continuing my suffering, even after the main blow was delivered?"

"No," Ally said, crossing her arms and sticking her nose up. "I like this dress."

"No you don't," Austin said. "You like comfy jeans and t-shirts with book puns on them. The only thing you like about that dress is that it drives me insane." Austin stood up and threw his trash in the can he was sitting next to. "Like I said, pathetic."

"If I'm so pathetic, why're you talking to me?" she asked. Austin shrugged.

"The dumb, lovesick puppy inside me still has hope. Irrational, but just enough so that I can't just walk away from the first conversation we've had in two weeks."

"So you admit you're a dumb, lovesick puppy," Ally said, raising her eyebrows. Austin shrugged.

"Guess I do." Ally swallowed and looked at him.

_"It makes you no better than me." _

There it was again, like a broken record in her head. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, Austin watching her with hardly any emotion.

"People keep saying I saved the school."

"From what? Me?" She nodded.

"I don't feel much like a hero."

"You've got all the popularity, the glory," Austin said. He gestured to himself. "The broken villain."

"Heroes are always distinctly _better _than the villains," Ally said. "Heroes don't do what they do for _revenge_. Heroes don't _break _the villain, they _defeat _them. A hero wouldn't be a hero if their enemy just…_gave up_."

"I gave up being a villain before you 'broke me.' And as far as I'm concerned, you aren't my enemy."

"I humiliated you in front of the whole school. Of course I'm your enemy." Austin shrugged.

"I know you could probably name a hundred books to contradict me, but I don't think people fall in love with their enemy."

"I could name a thousand." Austin's lips twitched into a slight smile. Then he sighed.

"So what're _you _doing out here?"

"The good girl inside me broke free and left a fresh wave of guilt in her wake," Ally admitted.

"Ah," Austin said. "Now, heroes don't usually feel _guilty _for saving the world. Or the school, in this case."

"They do when they stooped to the villain's level, while the villain rose to their level, and then the titles got mixed up, and somehow along the way the villain fell in love with them and they thought maybe they might like the villain a little and then everything got twisted and turned inside out and upside down."

"Hm, sounds like an interesting story." Ally sighed.

"I'm a terrible person, aren't I?" Austin shrugged.

"Maybe. Or maybe you're just a scared little girl who tried everything to get the big bully to stop pulling on her pigtails, and finally decided to shave the bully's head to get even." Ally snorted in laughter, despite the situation she was in.

"That was a terrible analogy."

"Got the point across though, didn't it?" Ally sighed and nodded. Austin put his hands on her shoulders. "I forgive you. You feel like an apology isn't nearly enough, but I forgive you. I know how you feel. I mean, look at what I've done to you. I deserve much worse than what you did to me. So why don't we call it almost even?"

"Almost even?" Ally asked. Austin shrugged and trailed his hands down her bare arms to hold her hands.

"Tease me for another week or so, then we'll talk." He winked and flashed her one of his famous charming smiles before walking away.

* * *

><p>For the next week, Ally doubled her drive-Austin-mad strategy, adding higher heels, shorter dresses, and even a few winks and hair flips in the mix. The guilt was a little less painful-he had forgiven her. Why, she had no idea. But she was thankful for it.<p>

At the end of the week, she went looking for Austin in the hallway at lunch, wondering if he actually meant what he said.

When her foot caught on his leg again, his arms were there to catch her. He quickly let her go and looked her up and down, leaning against the wall.

"You've really outdone yourself this past week. I'm more flattered than before."

"Yeah, well," she said, leaning against the wall next to him, "after our little chat I decided to amp it up."

"I can see that. You're gonna break an ankle one of these days. Good girls where flats." Ally shrugged, looking at his plain white t-shirt.

"And bad boys wear leather. Guess we've both been a little out of it lately."

"Yes, but you're dressing like that to drive _me _insane."

"Am I succeeding?"

"Yes."

"So…what now? I mean, it's been a week, and-"

"And I guess we're pretty much even. Congrats, you broke the bad boy."

"I don't feel very victorious," Ally said, guilt finding its way into her system again.

"I forgave you."

"I know. But I'm still sorry." Austin shrugged.

"The past is in the past. You wanna make it up to me? Let's start over."

"Start over?" Ally asked.

"Yeah. Try this 'friends' thing for real." Ally smiled a bit.

"Even after all this, you still wanna be friends with me?" Austin chuckled a little.

"'The course of love never did run smooth,'" Austin said.

"Did you just quote Shakespeare?"

"Read the whole play," he said with a nod. Ally smiled.

"By yourself?"

"By myself."

"I'm proud of you. But don't you know the context of that line?" Austin nodded.

"I do. Our story's a little bizarre, or maybe just too cliché to call normal, but I believe it's a love story. One that has a happy ending."

"You do?" Austin nodded.

"But I think we both need our friendship back first. What do you say?" he asked, opening his arms. Ally smiled and stepped into them, wrapping her arms around his neck. He tightened his around her waist and held her like his lifeline.

* * *

><p>"Four slices? Really?" Ally said to her friend as he sat next to her at the lunch table, pushing her glasses higher on the bridge of her nose. She had abandoned the 'Austin teasers' as she liked to call them the day after they became friends again. It was now two weeks since their make-up.<p>

"Yes, _really_," Austin said, powering through his second. "I'm a growing boy, Als."

"Uh huh, sure. Whatever you say," she said, rolling her eyes at him. Austin pointed at her.

"That was a flirtatious eye roll!" he accused.

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"You're desperate," she said, rolling her eyes again. He didn't really mind her comments and teasing about his being in love with her. In fact, he kind of enjoyed it.

"You're in denial!" he shot back. "It's not just a river in Italy, you know."

"You mean Egypt."

"Same thing," he said, waving her off.

"Not the same thing. I'm tutoring you in geography next."

"More study dates!" Austin exclaimed excitedly.

"Tutoring sessions," Ally sing-songed, having had this conversation too many times.

"Same thing," Austin sang back.

"Not really," Ally sang.

"Ally, name _one _book or movie in which a tutoring session between two people of opposite sexes has not ended in making out or declaring their love for each other. Or both."

"This isn't a book or movie. This is real life," Ally said.

"Our life is one giant chick flick and you know it."

"Is not."

"Just admit you're into me," Austin said.

"I'm not."

"What about that speech you made about heroes and villains and you kinda liking me?"

"I was guilty and caught in the moment."

"You like me," Austin said with a smug smile.

"I do not!" Ally exclaimed, throwing a grape at her friend.

"You know, you're a pretty big flirt for someone who doesn't like me."

"I'm not flirting!" she exclaimed.

"Maybe not intentionally."

"You're reading too far into this," she said.

"And _you're _hiding from your feelings." When he was met with silence, he knew he was right. He said nothing more, but Ally saw the small smile that crept its way onto his face.

* * *

><p>"And the capital of California is…Los Angeles," Austin said. Ally sighed.<p>

"No, it's Sacramento," she said. Austin groaned.

"We've been doing this for three hours! I've reached my limit. I'm done." He shut the book and pushed it away before moving to lay on Ally's bed.

"Well, now what?" she asked.

"Skip to the inevitable make out session or have the inevitable conversation that'll lead up to it," Austin suggested. Ally gave him a playful glare. "You so want to."

"I so don't," Ally said. Austin shrugged.

"So what do you wanna do?"

"Truth or dare?" Ally suggested. Austin chuckled.

"Still a rebellious one."

"I thought you already figured that out." He smiled. "Truth or dare?"

"I'm gonna be the good boy and say truth," he decided. Ally thought for a second.

"What does love feel like?"

"Like puppies and rainbows and sparkles and unicorns!" Austin exclaimed in a way that Ally almost didn't realize was sarcastic. Then he chuckled and sat up on her bed. "I dunno. Like…Like you're a piece of metal, and no matter what you do, you can't get out of that person's magnetic field. They just keep drawing you in, and you have no hope of getting out of it, but…you don't exactly want to."

"Intriguing," Ally said teasingly. Austin shrugged.

"You asked."

"Okay, your turn."

"Truth or dare?" he asked her.

"Dare," she said. Austin chuckled.

"Okay." He nodded at her desk. "Write the name of the guy you like on a piece of paper, crumble it up, and throw it out the window. Whoever gets to it first, gets to read it." His eyes twinkled mischievously.

"Dying for a rematch, are we?" Ally asked, getting up to grab a piece of paper and a pen. "Lucky for you, I actually like someone this time."

"And _I _already know who it is." Ally rolled her eyes but scribbled a name on the paper. She crumbled it up and threw it out the window before joining Austin at her bed. "Go!" Austin exclaimed.

Instead of going out the door, he went out Ally's window and onto her balcony.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, right on his tail. "Find your own shortcut!" She raced to the tree and started climbing down.

"You take the tree, and I'll take the tall people's shortcut," he said. He climbed over her balcony railing, lowered himself so he was holding the floor of the balcony, and dropped about three feet to the ground.

Ally was about halfway down the tree when he found the paper. He waited until her feet hit the ground before unfolding it slowly, smugly, teasing her with it. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"'You, idiot,'" Austin read aloud. He put a hand over his heart. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me. You knew I'd win, didn't you?"

"Duh."

"And you didn't care?" Ally shrugged.

"You deserve the satisfaction, I guess." Austin grinned.

"I knew it." Ally chuckled.

"Yeah, you did."

"Okay, your turn."

"Truth or dare?" Ally asked.

"Dare," Austin replied.

"Since we're all caught up on our feelings, please just _kiss _me already," Ally said.

Austin grinned and rested his hands on her hips, pulling her close. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders and before she knew it, his lips were on hers. Her eyes fluttered closed after his and she wondered how she ever could've wanted to be rid of him. His lips moved slowly against hers, and she could almost _feel _his smirk. She pressed herself closer to him anyway.

When he finally pulled away, she found herself pulling his head back down and pressing her lips to his once again. She was like a piece of metal and he was like a magnet, and she was caught in his magnetic field.

Realization dawned on her and she slowly pulled away from him. He stayed close enough that his lips slightly brushed hers, and she felt him smirk.

"You're a piece of metal, aren't you."

"Mmhm."

"And I'm the magnet."

"Yep."

"You finally realized you're in love with me."

"Big time." Austin grinned.

"It's about time," he said. Ally pulled away from him more and looked up at him.

"You are by far the most annoying person I have ever met." Austin smiled down at her.

"Yeah, I love you too."

* * *

><p><em><span><strong>ATTENTION:<strong>_

_This handbook has been updated from its original version. One hundred out of one hundred good girls have fallen in love with their bad boy counterparts after following the steps in this guide. Newer copies are now available, with a new step and tips about dating a former bad boy._

* * *

><p><strong>Yep, so that's it! Okay, I have a question. I am willing to write the "continuation" of this one-shot (the new step and tips), as well as the other "handbooks" listed. But I wanna know if you guys want them. So in a review tell me if you want me to write any of the other ones, and which ones you want me to write. Thanks for reading and please review! I love you all!<strong>

**~Maddie :)**


End file.
